


For You? Anything.

by HomeForImaginaryFriends



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Magic, Gods, M/M, Magic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-04
Updated: 2018-02-04
Packaged: 2019-03-13 10:54:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,808
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13569087
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HomeForImaginaryFriends/pseuds/HomeForImaginaryFriends
Summary: Kuroo doesn't want to watch his friends die so he sacrifices himself in order to gain protection from a god.





	For You? Anything.

They stumbled into the cecredpid temple.  Kuroo could hardly walk, Bokuto was taking most of his weight by that point.  The wound in his thigh was but a dull throb compared to the deep gashes cut into his abdomen.  Bokuto dropped him as easily as he could, Kuroo swallowed down his groan of pain as his back came into contact with the stone altar behind him.

 

“Hold on, it’s going to be- just hold strong Tetsu.”  Bokuto pleaded as his hands pulled a little too hard on Kuroo, too frantic and worried to be gentle as he tossed away the blood soaked cloth and replaced it with a cleaner one.  It hardly mattered, the three wounds stretched the length of Kuroo’s abdomen and the cloth was soaked within moments.

 

“Go.”  Kuroo said with as much force as he could.  Someone was calling for Bokuto but he looked hesitant to leave.  As if by his mere presence Bokuto could keep Kuroo alive longer.

 

The distant growls and screams told him none of them had long to live.

 

Their small group was all there was left of the once great Kingdoms of the land.  Kuroo’s clothes were stained with his own kins blood.  Those he had no chance of saving.  Only a handful of his people remained.

 

Kuroo looked up at the crumbling roof of the old shrine as people rushed around him.  The old gods had been forgotten though pieces reamined of them throughout the land.  This temple wouldn’t survive the onslaught that was soon to happen.

 

Something howled, catching scent of them.  Too close.  No time to breath or rest.  Short barked orders, a soft and scared whimper, the shifting of armor and weapons, pulling of power and magic.

 

It wouldn’t be enough.  They all knew it but it was either die fighting or die cowering.

 

Kuroo looked around at the small group.  Some of them looked terrified, some resolute.  Others, like Kai, were saying their peace.  He had pulled Oohira off to the side.  They stood close, foreheads pressed together.  Dirtied and bloody, regretting missed opportunities.

 

Akaashi grabbed Bokuto’s arm, stopping him from rushing around.  Bokuto’s face went slack as Akaashi slowly pulled him into a hug.  The remaining members of Bokuto’s once great army joined in.  Bokuto, the young lord who had been forced to take over after his father and three elder brothers had died in battle.  Bokuto looked up, tears making clear tracks down his grimy cheeks.

 

Ushijima stood off to the side, closest to the door.  He had lost everyone but Oohira.  His face was usually impassive but it was now completely devoid of emotion.  Iwaizumi limped over to Ushijima, his face stricken with grief.  Ushijima didn’t look up at Iwaizumi but the old rivals stood close.

 

Kuroo couldn’t bare to look at anyone else as the growling and excited yips grew steadily closer.  Coming from every direction.

 

Kuroo pushed himself into a standing position, ignoring the pain emitting from numerous wounds all over his body.  His legs shook beneath him.  Everything hurt but he refused to sit and do nothing.  He placed a bloody hand on the altar behind him to keep himself standing as the ground trembled beneath their feet as the oncoming army gathered closer.  There would be no escaping from this temple.

 

Warmth emitted from beneath Kuroo’s hand, causing him to turn his head and look down at his smeared blood on the stone.  Power pulled at him.  It was foreign but not wholly unpleasant.  It was as if something warm was gently touching his palm.

 

Kuroo thought of the old gods.  The legends surrounding them about sacrifices.  Kuroo had dismissed them, though he had told plenty of tales around a fire, especially to willing and young audience.  He tried not to think of how many of those young members of his clan were now dead, concentrated on the myths about sacrifices for gods.  Nothing would make him murder someone for a god.

 

Kuroo looked around at what was left of them all.  What was one life for so many?

 

Kuroo heaved himself onto the altar.  His breath came fast and harsh as he pulled a dagger out of the sheath on his belt.  No one had taken notice of him as the dark army crashed into the old shrine.  Walls shook, the door creaked ominously.

 

Closing his eyes, Kuroo pressed the dagger against his chest.  Pleading with any god listening, his life for theirs.

 

“Protect them.”  Kuroo whispered, pressing the blade into his skin, feeling the sharp bite of steel.

 

Something gripped his wrist, stopping him with gentle firmness.  As Kuroo opened his eyes he noted how silent it had gone.

 

Darkness surrounded him.  Everything gone except the stone altar he laid upon.  The hand on his wrist was warm with thick, blunt fingers and wide palm.  Kuroo followed the strong line of their arm, connected to broad shoulders and a cut jaw.  Soft brown eyes stared into Kuroo’s, dark brows furrowed slightly.

 

The man pulled at Kuroo’s wrist.  The tip of the dagger came free of his skin, though Kuroo barely felt it.  The dagger clattered to the floor, slipping through Kuroo’s loose fingers.

 

Kuroo had met many who claimed to be a god but one look at the man in front of him proved them for the fools Kuroo knew them as.  There was no mistaking what the creature in front of him was.

 

“Please help.”  Kuroo rasped out.  The god tilted his head and Kuroo wasn’t even sure if the ancient creature understood him.

 

But he had stopped Kuroo from killing himself so Kuroo could only hope that this god wasn’t like the stories he had told around a fire.

 

The god looked down to Kuroo’s hand.  He carefully slid his fingers down from Kuroo’s wrist making blood smear against the gods clean hands.  Kuroo cringed at how dirty he was, it had been weeks since any of them had bathed.

 

Their eyes met once more and Kuroo was shocked to see the gods own eyes had changed.  They were golden, the most common color amongst the shapeshifters.  They looked like the mirror image of Kuroo’s own eyes but as Kuroo stared up into them the gold slowly faded until they were a warm brown again, only small flecks of the gold visible up close.

 

“Protect.”  The gods voice was deep, thrumming in Kuroo’s chest.

 

Strong fingers curled around Kuroos.

 

Warmth curled inside of Kuroo, spreading out and making him gasp in shock.

 

The gods name came to Kuroo clearly, Sawamura.

 

Sound returned suddenly, the screams of the dark army upon them as they tore the temple apart.  The door cracking and breaking open.  Shouts from the warriors around Kuroo.

 

Sawamura’s hand slipped out of Kuroo’s grasp.  He hadn’t even realized he had taken hold of the gods hand.  The loss left Kuroo feeling adrift but there was no time to mourn for something Kuroo wasn’t even positive about as the door finally succumbed to the beating.

 

Death hounds flowed in through the broken door.  Their skin was made of a material tougher than stone, practically impenetrable.  Magic was completely useless against them also.  Cracks in their black skin glowed blue, burning all who touched it.  They would annihilate their small group in mere moments.

 

Iwaizumi stepped forward, Oikawa’s sword held in front of him.  The only thing he had left of his childhood friend.  None of them even had time to mourn the loss of the Grand King, their old friend had died only that morning.

 

Sawamura appeared behind Iwaizumi, pulling him back.  Iwaizumi knocked into Ushijima, both of them looking shocked.  But they were warriors, seasoned veterans and hardened by too many battles.  The shock quickly faded to anger which would lead to action.

 

“Hold!”  It went to show the level of trust they had in each other as everyone stopped at Kuroo’s shout.  He pushed himself off the altar, momentarily shocked because he felt fine.  Better than fine, honestly he hadn’t felt so good in many months.  Not since the dark army had risen and plagued them all.

 

That wasn’t important though, a secondary thought easily pushed aside because weapons were trained on Sawamura.  Sawamura, who was approaching the growling beasts of death.  Kuroo’s breath stuck in his throat but everyone had listened to his command to hold.

 

Sawamura bent down to eye level of the biggest of them.  Three had come through the door.  One was more than enough to kill them all but none had made a move to attack since Sawamura had appeared.

 

Sawamura’s hands reached up, cupping the beasts face.  His skin did not crack or burn, but he was a god after all.

 

Kuroo heard the wall crack behind him but all eyes were on Sawamura.  The god gave off a faint light in the dark temple, as if he was lit from within.  His tunic and trousers were simple though, made of fine material.  His feet were bare.

 

“Protect.”  Sawamura’s voice seemed to spellbind them all.  No one moved even a finger as the stone building groaned around them, ready to break apart at any moment.

 

The beasts stopped growling, all staring at Sawamura.  The one the god held closed its ice blue eyes, the fiery cracks dying to a soft blue.  The other two laid down on their stomachs.

 

Sawamura dropped his hands and the beasts eyes shot open, now a burning orange.  It butted its large head against Sawamura’s shoulder in a clearly affectionate way before hopping right back out the door.  The others rose, all now burning like fire and followed the leader out.

 

“Wait!”  Kuroo ran forward as Kai notched an arrow.  Kuroo knew what the archer was thinking, only the dark mages controlled the death hounds.  Kai believed an enemy was amongst them.  Only years of friendship stayed Kai’s arrow.

 

Kuroo stepped between Sawamura and the rest of his group, in case any of them made a move.  Sawamura had turned at Kuroo’s shout, watched him approach with ancient eyes.

 

“You are worried.”  Sawamura spoke, reaching up to cup Kuroo’s face as he had just done with the beasts.  Sawamura stared deep into Kuroo’s eyes, holding him captive in much the same way he had done with the creatures.  Sawamura released Kuroo and touched a single finger to his chest, right where Kuroo had been about to stab himself when Sawamura had stopped him.  The wound had been healed, along with all of Kuroo’s other wounds.

 

Sawamura stepped back, black armor covering his body as a curved blade rested in his hand.  He smiled at Kuroo, and if Kuroo didn’t know any better he would call it a challenging look.

 

Sawamura turned and disappeared out the broken door.

 

Kuroo looked around him.  Some still looked frightened, others wary or confused but gone was the resignation, the hopelessness.

 

“His name is Sawamura, he is the god of this temple and he’s going to protect us.”  Kuroo then pulled on his own magic, felt a rush of relief when it came to him easily as it had not since this endless war had begun.  He shifted into his other form and followed Sawamura out the door on silent paws.

 

For the first time since the mages had unleashed the darkness, the fight came out as their win.  The others had followed Kuroo out and taken care of those the converted beasts and Sawamura hadn’t killed.

 

Kuroo padded silently over to Sawamura, noting the black armor covered him completely.  It should have been terrifying, that armor, but for some reason Kuroo found no fear of the god.  Under the helmet Kuroo was sure that Sawamura was smiling, though he had no real proof as to how he knew that.  The rest of their little army stopped behind them as a shadow stumbled out from behind the trees.

 

The beasts surrounded the once human mage.  Something evil resided in the mage, eating away at her body.  Her nose was gone completely, leaving only the cavity visible.  Half her face had bulging black veins, her left eye was swollen and milky white while the other was shrunken in the eye socket.  She walked with a heavy limp.  Even if Kuroo hadn’t been in his animal form he could have smelt the decay.

 

**_Awoke us._ **

**_Changed us._ **

**_Twisted us._ **

**_Hurt us._ **

 

Kuroo could hear the beasts own language.   They worked almost as hive mind.  Kuroo realized Sawamura hadn’t controlled the beasts, he merely freed them and won their loyalty that way.

 

“You only delay the inevitable.”  The thing controlling the mage said.  “What do you think you can do against us, forgotten god?”  Grass died beneath its feet, it released toxins just by breathing.

 

The black armor disappeared from Sawamura’s body.  He stared the creature down in just his trousers and tunic, feet once against bare.

 

“You have given us something even better to eat.”  Eyes that could not possibly see turned to Kuroo.  “Consuming a god, even a fallen one, will make us more powerful.  We thank you little brother.”  Kuroo felt his muzzle pull back away from his teeth in a snarl.  Over his dead body would they feast upon Sawamura.

 

A warm hand touched the top of Kuroo’s head.  Sawamura did not have to bend down to touch Kuroo, for his other form was quite large.

 

“Nothing to say?  Do they even know what god they have asked help from?”  The mage asked, wheezing laughter made Kuroo’s fur stand up straight in discomfort.

 

Sawamura strode forward.  The mage smiled, showing off a row of mostly rotten teeth and black gums.  There was glee in what was once a beautiful face, but there was also confidence in the set of Sawamura’s shoulders.

 

“Michimiya Yui,” Sawamura said, hand coming up to press against the mages forehead.  “It’s time to fight.”  The creatures decayed eyes rolled, body going limp and Kuroo was sure the only thing holding it up was Sawamura’s hand against its forehead.

 

The body bowed, mouth held wide open in a silent scream.  The death hounds circled close, waiting for what Kuroo wasn’t sure.  He felt his group move in closer to him, confused and a little frightened.  Fukunaga stumbled close, fingers taking tight hold on the fur covering Kuroo’s shoulder.

 

“Fight.”  Sawamura commanded.  Skeletal hands gripped Sawamura’s arm before the body collapsed completely.

 

Sawamura still held something in his hand.  Something twisted and clearly not of this world, Kuroo couldn’t help the silent snarl as the foul smelling thing tried to break free of Sawamura’s grip.  Sawamura held out the creature to the death hounds, let the biggest one take it and suddenly all three were tearing it to pieces.

 

The body on the ground wheezed, clearly in undeniable pain but not able to make a noise.  Sawamura kneeled down, the move supremely graceful.  Blind eyes moved wildly, fingers grasped at air.  Kuroo stared in horror because the human soul had been trapped within her own body, forced to watch the horrors they commited, feeling their own body decay away because of the foreign thing inside them.

 

Kuroo gently shrugged Fukunaga off before he pulled on his human form.  He walked over to Sawamura, stopping at his shoulder and staring down at the poor dying girl.

 

“Help her, please.”  Kuroo pleaded, bending down so he could look Sawamura in the eye.  The god had done so much for them already and Kuroo had no right to ask more of him, to save someone who had been the cause of this mess.  But there had been enough death and pain lately, Kuroo couldn’t bare to see anymore.

 

“For you?  Anything.”  Sawamura spoke gently, making Kuroo’s heart pound faster within his chest.  Sawamura turned back to the gasping body of the mage.  He took a deep breath, the soft light that was emitting from within him gradually faded as he held his breath.  Sawamura bent down, gripping the girls chin to keep her still before he blew the light into her mouth.

 

The rot and decay slowly faded, blind eyes turned into soft brown, the black veins disappeared completely.  The girl stared up at the sky before slumping over, passing out on the spot.  Sawamura leaned against Kuroo.  The godly glow was gone but he was still solid, still blessedly warm and smiling up at Kuroo.  He had just saved a girl simply because Kuroo had asked him too.

 

The ones who had tracked them down had been but a small part of a never ending army.  This was far from over and Kuroo let himself relax for the first time in what felt like his entire life, but was closer to only a couple years.

 

Hope stirred in Kuroo’s chest as he pressed his cheek against the top of the gods head.   _ His  _ god.


End file.
